Working where others go on vacation

Now two weeks have already passed and a lot has happened..

First of all, let's talk about my new home. For Balinese standards, the small house is very well equipped. We have our own living room, a complete kitchen, a bedroom and a bathroom, but only with cold showers (no problem, because you are constantly sweating here, so you are grateful for every cooling). A special highlight in our house, besides the fans, is our air conditioning (air conditioning is by no means common in houses here).

By we, I mean my roommate Irizelle from Canada, who unfortunately will only stay here for 1 more week. Which is very sad because you have just gotten to know each other so well, but I will definitely visit her in Canada.

Supposedly, two new volunteers from the Netherlands will move in with me at the beginning of November.

Now to my daily routine.

I will now list my weekly schedule for you:

Monday: 8:30 am - 10:00 am: Worship

10:00 am - 11:00 am: Meeting Denpasar Kids

1:00 pm - 1:30 pm: Lunch

2:30 pm - 4:00 pm: Denpasar Kids

6:00 pm - 6:30 pm: Dinner

Tuesday: 1:00 pm - 1:30 pm: Lunch

2:30 pm - 3:00 pm: Meeting Putra Pintar

3:00 pm - 5:00 pm: Putra Pintar

6:00 pm - 6:30 pm: Dinner

Wednesday: 10:00 am - 11:00 am: Meeting Denpasar Kids

1:00 pm - 1:30 pm: Lunch

2:30 pm - 4:00 pm: Denpasar Kids

6:00 pm - 6:30 pm: Dinner

Thursday: 8:30 am - 10:00 am: Teaching Lesson

Rest of the day is OFF

Friday: 1:00 pm - 1:30 pm: Lunch

2:30 pm - 4:00 pm: Banoa Kids

6:00 pm - 6:30 pm: Dinner

Saturday: DAY OFF

Sunday: DAY OFF

As you can see, there is not much to do, but there is still enough work to keep you from getting bored! Since you often have to prepare for classes. In addition, there is the so-called 'Work Blessing', which means nothing more than normal household chores that everyone is responsible for in the organization. Everything is included, from preparing food to cleaning the rooms. You are responsible for one of the services twice a week, which usually does not take more than 1-1.5 hours.

Just so you know, it is not mandatory to eat there, but it is free for all staff. And it tastes really good too, although the basis is rice almost every day, but the side dishes (fish, vegetables, meat) change daily. We usually have breakfast at our house, most of the groceries are provided by the organization's kitchen (cereal, milk, bread, spreads, etc.).

A little explanation about my afternoon program:

Denpasar Kids is an afternoon school founded by the organization. There are only three classes with children aged 3-5, 6-10 and 10-14. As the name suggests, it is located in Denpasar, the capital of Bali (about 45 minutes by scooter from Jimbaran), but in a very poor Muslim neighborhood where hardly anyone can afford education. Therefore, all the children who come to us are very eager to learn. Everything there is naturally free. First, we play with all the children until 3 p.m. and sing a few songs, then everyone goes to their class. English is taught at different levels in each class. For children who cannot even write, there is extra instruction on the side. Finally, everyone gets a snack and then we go home.

The Putra Pintar Kids come to the base every Tuesday from 3 p.m. These are mainly children who live in the area and want to learn something extra. Here too, the classes are divided into different levels or ages. The first 45 minutes are spent teaching English, and the next 45 minutes are dedicated to math. Fortunately, I am only responsible for teaching English there, for example, I teach the children how to introduce themselves in English (or body parts, question words, etc.). The last 30 minutes, everyone comes together and then it's storytime, which is usually a little play performed by us, from which the children are supposed to learn certain things.

The Banoa Kids are taught in a very poor neighborhood about 30 minutes away from here. The same scheme as in the other two ministries (that's what the work is called here). Here we play until 3 p.m. and then teach English or Bahasa (Indonesian).

There are also other ministries such as: Soccer, Street Kids, Prison Work (yes, you can also teach in prison), but I consciously chose to work with children. Actually, I should only choose two ministries, but that would have been too little for me.

And yet I still have enough free time. During which we usually go to the beach, drive to other beaches, go to Kuta to shop in the malls (equipped like in America but much more expensive), or simply eat together somewhere. There is always something to do. Someone always has time.

And that's also the reason why I'm so happy to be here. On the one hand, I can help and teach, and on the other hand, I still have so much free time that I don't overstrain myself (2 hours can be long and tiring with 15 hyperactive children + long scooter rides at 30 degrees and traffic jams).

On the weekends, there are also larger trips planned to more distant beaches, temples, cities, waterfalls, etc. This weekend, for example, I am going to three small neighboring islands of Bali (Gilis) with Irizelle. I think I will also write a new blog post about this trip.

I am just so happy that I ended up here. Just the many people you meet here, from so many different countries (Australia, USA, NZ, South Africa, Uganda, Portugal, etc.), is so enriching. Besides the Indonesian culture, I get to know at least 20 other cultures here.

I might write a new blog post about the children and the work. There is just so much to say, the respect, gratitude, but also the love and trust that the children give you is priceless...